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$200 hotel credit offered with The Platinum Card® from American Express applies to prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings made via Amex Travel. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
It's often necessary to book award travel well in advance to secure seat availability, but knowing for sure that a trip will work out isn’t always easy. A lot can change in the months ahead, and even the best-laid plans can fall apart. Changes or cancellations are sometimes unavoidable, and many airline loyalty programs charge fees for one or both.
Award ticket change and cancellation policies vary by airline. Fees range from free with Southwest, Alaska Airlines, ANA, Delta, and United to as much as $200 per ticket through Avianca LifeMiles for international awards. But most airlines fall somewhere in the middle.
That’s cold, hard cash you’ve paid to the airline for the privilege of not flying. But thanks to the travel credits offered on some of the best rewards cards, you might not have to pay out of pocket. You can charge the fee to your card, then have it reimbursed as a statement credit.
So, which cards let you do this? Let's take a look.
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Which Credit Cards Provide Travel or Airline Incidental Credits?
Travel credits are a common feature on premium travel rewards cards and a few mid-tier ones. However, not all of these credits will work for airline change or cancellation fees. It’s extremely important to read the fine print.
Some cards, like the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card, specifically include ticket change and cancellation fees. Others, like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, don't cover incidental fees because the travel credit only applies to bookings made through the Capital One Travel portal.
Here's an overview of several cards that offer travel credits and what you can use them for:
| Credit Card | Annual Credit | Eligible Purchases | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (Rates & Fees) | $50 airline credit | Airline purchases of $50 or more | $95 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees) | $75 Southwest Airlines Annual Travel Credit | All Southwest purchases (excluding Upgraded Boardings and inflight purchases) | $149 |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | $200 airline credit, available as $50 per quarter for purchases directly from airlines or via Amex Travel $250 Hilton Resort Statement Credit Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. | Airfare purchased through Amex Travel. Does not include most ancillary fees, and specifically does not include change or cancellation fees. Eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts, including charges made at restaurants, spas, and other establishments within the hotel property if charged to your room and paid for with your card | $550 |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | $200 airline incidentals credit on one airline - chosen annually $200 hotel credit on select prepaid hotels with Amex Travel (The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay) Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. | Baggage fees, change and cancellation fees, in-flight food and beverages, and lounge admission. Fees must be charged separately from ticket purchase to qualify. Applies only to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings | $695 - Rates & Fees |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | $200 airline incidentals credit on one airline - chosen annually Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. | Baggage fees, change and cancellation fees, in-flight food and beverages, and lounge admission. Fees must be charged separately from ticket purchase to qualify. | $695 - Rates & Fees |
| Citi Prestige® Card (not open to new applicants) | $250 travel credit | Airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel agencies/travel aggregators/tour operators, commuter transportation, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/car services, passenger railways, cruise lines, bridge and road tolls, parking lots/garages, and bus lines | $495 |
| The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card (available only by product change) | $300 airline incidentals credit (not applied automatically; you must call or send a secure message to request credit) | Non-ticket airline purchases including baggage fees, seat upgrades, in-flight entertainment, in-flight meals or beverages, lounge passes or memberships. | $450 |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card | $300 airline incidentals credit on qualifying U.S. domestic airlines only | Preferred seating upgrades, ticket change/cancellation fees, checked baggage fees, in-flight entertainment, onboard food and beverage charges, and airport lounge fees affiliated with eligible airline carriers. | $550 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees) | $300 travel credit | Almost any travel purchases | $550 |
| Capital One Venture X Business | $300 travel credit that applies to bookings with Capital One Travel only | Flights, hotels, and car rentals | $395 |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | $300 travel credit that applies to bookings with Capital One Travel only | Flights, hotels, and car rentals | $395 |
| U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card (not open to new applicants) | $325 travel credit | Any merchant classified as travel as well as dining, restaurant takeout, or food delivery. | $400 |
| Crystal® Visa Infinite® Credit Card | $350 airline incidentals credit on U.S. domestic airlines only | Ticket change/cancellation fees, checked baggage fees, in-flight entertainment, onboard food and beverage charges, airport lounge membership fees and day passes, onboard wireless charges, and TSA PreCheck membership application fee transactions. | $400 |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card | Up to $100 airline incidentals credit on U.S. domestic airlines only | Preferred seating upgrades, ticket change/cancellation fees, checked baggage fees, in-flight entertainment, onboard food and beverage charges, and airport lounge fees affiliated with eligible airline carriers. | $95 |
| PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® | Up to $100 airline incidentals credit on U.S. domestic airlines only | Baggage fees, seat upgrades, in-flight food and beverage purchases, in-flight WiFi and entertainment, airport lounge fees. Unclear if change and cancellation fees qualify. | $95 (waived for PenFed Honors Advantage members) |
Many of the cards offer credits that are usable for airline change or cancellation fees. Some have ambiguous language that doesn't make it clear, but some others specifically exclude these fees. We've done our best to outline what fees and services each card's travel credit actually covers.
Want more details on your travel or airline credit? We've put together some handy guides for travel credits from popular issuers below:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express airline credit
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card travel credit
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® travel credit
- The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card travel credit (card available via product change)
- Citi Prestige® Card travel credit (card not open to new applicants)
It’s important to note that not all airline/travel credits are created equal. The travel credits offered on the Sapphire Reserve and U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card cover almost any travel charge paid for with the card, including airline, hotel, taxi/Uber, and marine transportation charges. These are by far the most flexible. Even better, these statement credits are applied automatically when a qualifying charge is detected.
Conversely, the travel credit on the Ritz-Carlton Card is far more restrictive, as it applies only to select airline and travel charges. And frustratingly, you have to call or message Chase to have the credit applied to your account. If you happen to forget this step, you won't receive your credit.
Do Travel and Airline Credits Cover All Airline Fees and Charges?
No. The specific fees each airline credit covers can be a challenge to piece together, and you need to dig into the terms and conditions for each product. For instance, the $300 “travel” credit offered on the Ritz-Carlton Card doesn’t cover all airline charges — only baggage fees, upgrades, lounge access, and in-flight entertainment or Wi-Fi.
In contrast, the airline credit provided on the Crystal® Visa Infinite® Credit Card only covers domestic airlines and mentions airline ticket change/cancellation fees explicitly:
“Qualifying Airline Purchases are defined as incidental airline fee transactions made at eligible US-Domestic Airline Carriers (each an “Eligible Airline”) on domestic itineraries and include: ticket change/cancellation fees…”
You'll have to dig into the specific details for the credit offered by a particular card to find out what charges are covered. However, we've done the work for a good number of cards, listing out the details of what eligible charges qualify for each card's credit in the table above.
How to Cover Award Ticket Change and Cancellation Fees With Travel Credits
If you're using a card with travel or airline credits that cover ancillary fees, triggering the credit is as simple as swiping your card when paying the fee. The charge will code as airline ticket change/cancellation fees from the merchant, and the statement credit should apply automatically to your account (the Ritz-Carlton Card is an exception).
If the costs don’t credit automatically, you’ll need to call the number on the back of your card and have a customer service representative look at the charges to ensure they have coded correctly. You may need to supply a receipt for the purchase from the travel provider.
If you’re looking for more information on each program's fees, consult our guide to frequent flyer program change and cancellation fees.
Final Thoughts
Life often gets in the way of travel plans, and ticket changes and cancellations are a reality. Claiming a statement credit for award change/cancellation fees is an excellent way of utilizing credit card perks to reduce the out-of-pocket cost of changing your travel plans.
Just be aware that not all travel credits will cover these ancillary fees. Even on cards that do include change/cancellation fees, you may have restrictions on which airlines you can apply the credit to, such as the restrictions on Amex, Bank of America, and City National Bank cards.
The broad travel credit offered on the Sapphire Reserve is yet another reason we rate the card so highly. It provides the ultimate flexibility to help you cover the fees in the event you need to change your ticket.
Ultimately, I prefer to use airline loyalty programs where there are no change or cancellation fees. But there are still times when I have to pay these. And having a card available that can cover these charges (if needed) is a great resource.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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